A column clad in charcoal mirror announces the entrance to the coffee shop. Photography by Bali Interiors (Sheila Man).

Coffee is more than a way of life of Indonesia—at Kuta’s new Expat Roasters, it’s an art and science on display in a Brutalist shop and store courtesy of Sydney’s X+O. Comprising 1,345 square feet within a high-end shopping mall just off the boardwalk, Expat Roasters percolates within an arch of perforated black powder-coated steel that offers a glimpse of what design director Rebecca Vulic calls the interior “performance space.”

The hand-poured concrete bar is a stage for brewing tips and teaching, utilizing accessories ready for purchase across shelving on the interior side of the perforated walls. Indoor and outdoor seating allows audiences to watch and learn.

“We needed to entice customers in from the mall,” says Vulic. The perforations create “intrigue on the mall side as customers can see glimpses to inside the space, but they cannot see everything in totality—which invites them to come in and experience it for themselves.” And catch a good buzz.